Baton Rouge man sentenced for illegal possession of a gun by a felon

A 31-year-old Baton Rouge man was sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a gun as a convicted felon.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson also ordered that Demetrice D. Johnson be put on supervised release for three years after he completes his 88-month prison term.

Baton Rouge police arrested Johnson in November after he allegedly fired a .45-caliber handgun several times into a vehicle occupied by an adult and three children. He pleaded guilty in June to the federal firearms charge.

“We will continue to assist and work with our federal, state and local partners to reduce gun violence in Baton Rouge and throughout the rest of the Middle District of Louisiana,” U.S. Attorney Walt Green said. “A large part of our role is the aggressive prosecution of felons who possess and use firearms in violation of federal law. Our relentless pursuit of those cases will continue.”